Without You
by Animegirl1129
Summary: “Because.” Jason said, still very much glaring at the younger man. “I don’t want you here.” Slash. JaSpin.
1. Part I

Without You

**_AU in that Jake dies. Takes place after all the Russian-kidnapping drama from a few weeks ago. Not mine. Would not exist without cynical sweater. Enjoy! Part 2 is almost done._**

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Part 1

"Stone Cold, I…"

Jason cut him off, standing firm as he held the door open. "Get out."

Spinelli stared in something akin to horror at the elder man. "I don't understand." He refused to move, despite the fact that the majority of his possessions now sat scattered about in the hallway, having been abruptly removed from the regrettably pink room.

"I said 'get out'." He roared, stone cold look coming through. "Now."

"No. The Jackal will not just abandon Casa De Stone Cold; will not just abandon Stone Cold himself in his most dire time of need!" He protested, totally thrown for a loop as to Jason's impromptu actions. He knew very little of what had happened with the Russians. He knew Jake was dead, and that his Mentor had barely said a word since having returned from the manhunt for the heathens responsible for taking his son. "Why…?"

"Because." Jason said, still very much glaring at the younger man. "I don't want you here."

Spinelli, combating his usual reactions to such comments, didn't budge. He knew what Jason was doing. He was pressing buttons in an attempt to get him to leave. Well, it wasn't going to work. "Why… why are you doing this?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Leave, Spinelli. I don't want you here anymore." The elder was sensing that his plans were not going to come about this way. He put up another barrier in his already heavily guarded heart and prepared to throw the punches that would get Spinelli out. "I can't take it anymore. The babbling, the… the nicknames, the insanity! The orange soda and barbeque chips. Sonny was right; you don't belong anywhere near me." One last look and he could see his roommate looked worse than he ever had after one of Sonny's abusive tirades. "Go back to Oakfield, for all I care, Damian."

"Damian?" Spinelli asked, confused by the name. It was his name, but the only time Jason had really ever used it was to question why he was calling himself Damian and pretending to be someone he wasn't. "The Jackal doesn't… understand."

Jason turned on him, then, crashing through numerous levels of personal space. "You're not the Jackal, okay?" He growled. "I'm not your Master, you're not my Grasshopper. You're just a kid who's good with computers. Not an Ace of Cyberspace. Just go. I don't need you."

Spinelli hesitated in the step he took toward the door. "I- Jason." His voice cracked.

"I'll have Max escort you out, if that's what it takes."

"Fine." Spinelli murmured. "I'm gone."

***

He found Maxie still at Crimson, working on some project or another for Kate. She startled when he appeared beside her, but he didn't really notice. "Jeez, Spinelli, don't do that!"

"The Jack- I apologize, Maximista." He said, as he slumped down into a nearby chair. Without even his messenger bag, he felt more alone than ever. He'd been in such a rush to escape Jason's words that he hadn't bothered to grab anything.

"What's wrong? Is it Jake?" His expression answered her question and reminded him that very few people had been informed of that fact. "Oh, no. Elizabeth must be…" She trailed off.

Spinelli wrung his hands, fidgeted more than usual. "Indeed. Jake was dead before Jason and Sam could reach him. The Russians' plan succeeded."

Maxie's arms wrapped around him. "Shouldn't you be with Jason? I'm sure he's planning all sorts of mob payback stuff about now." One thing the guy was useful for, she figured. He'd avenge the loss of Elizabeth's son.

"Jason is in no way capable of making rational choices regarding the Russians at the moment. He's far too distraught over the losing Jake." At least he hoped Jason wouldn't make any decisions on payback tonight. Kicking him out was one thing, starting a bigger mob war would be worse.

Evidently, that was enough to set Maxie off. "He's upset? What about Elizabeth?" She countered, standing up, pacing in front of him. "She was involved with Jason and they target her son for no reason? What right does he have to grieve when it's Elizabeth who lost someone tonight?"

Spinelli had forgotten that she hadn't been privy to Jason's secret pain. "Jake is… was his son." He confessed.

"What?"

"Jason and Elizabeth had an… indiscretion around the same time as Lulu and Dillon did. And… nine months later… Jake. They didn't want anyone to know out of fear that this would happen." He explained.

She sat down again, clearly winded by that information. "Whoa."

"Not to change the topic, but could I possibly stay with you tonight?"

"Wait a minute… You left Jason alone while he's dealing with the loss of his son?" Maxie completely reversed the nature of her previous arguments. "I'm surprised, Spinelli."

"It wasn't my decision to go." He offered.

"And why aren't you talking like you always do?" She inquired, realizing that they'd gone through this entire conversation without him using a word she would probably need a thesaurus to explain.

He folded his arms over his chest again. "No one talks like that."

Eyes searching his, as if they held the answers, she stared. "What? You talk like that."

"No one normal talks like that." He amended. "The Jackal is no more."

"What? Why? Spinelli, you can't blame what happened to Jake on yourself. You had nothing to do with it!"

"That's not what this is about." Spinelli shrugged. "Jason all but demanded I leave the penthouse. He has all of my stuff sitting in the hall. And he threatened to have Max escort me out if I didn't leave." The words that had come out of Jason's mouth were another matter entirely, one he didn't want to repeat.

"He did what?" The blond demanded, standing. "Spinelli," She hugged him tightly. "Stay here. I'm going to go have a few words with Jason. I'll be back soon." She promised, and was on the elevator before he could object.

***

She banged on the door to Penthouse 2, ignoring the protests of Max behind her. "Jason Morgan!" Maxie shouted, unrelenting. "If you don't open this door, I swear…"

It flew open with a force she hadn't predicted and she probably would have fallen if she'd missed catching the doorframe. "You swear, what?"

The man looked suitably annoyed by her presence. "I swear I'll call Mac down here and have him arrest you, that's what."

Jason just glared. "Spinelli's been to see you then?"

"He has." She shoved past him, not giving him the opportunity to close the door. "What the hell do you think you're doing to him?"

"I don't want him here."

"Bull." Maxie replied, standing just in front of him. "I know you want him here. He's your best friend just like he is mine. And you'd never make him leave, especially since you know the guy has to have some serious abandonment issues." Neither of them knew much of their mutual friends past, but a lot could be assumed. "How could you kick him out like that?"

"I told you. I didn't want him here." He repeated. "If he's staying with you, grab some of his bags on the way out." It was a hint to leave, but she wouldn't take it.

"And Spinelli wouldn't just walk out on you in the middle of all this just because you threatened to have your goons walk him out." She pondered. "You would have had to press some serious buttons to get him the shape you had him in. He's not even talking like himself. What did you say to him?"

Jason sighed. "I told him that Sonny was right about him. That I don't need him. That he's just a stupid kid who should have known better than to think I was his friend. Just like you should, too."

She slapped him. A daring move against the biggest mobster in town. He didn't react.

"You did WHAT?" The blond demanded, eyes on fire. "How could you do that to anyone as sweet as Spinelli? God, you don't know anything!"

"I know he's better off out there than near me."

"No!" Maxie protested. "You think you know that he's safer out there. But, you're just pushing him away because you couldn't protect Jake. You're pushing everyone who's close to you away so you don't have to get hurt again. You think you're protecting them, but you're just protecting yourself. Meanwhile, poor Spinelli is sitting alone at Crimson wondering what he did to deserve this abuse from the one person in Port Charles who he trusts and idolizes more than anyone."

He shook his head. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" She argued. "I lost Georgie less than a year ago. I've lost Jesse, and Coop, and I know I haven't lost a son or daughter, but I think most of the people I love come close to that."

Jason wasn't particularly happy that she knew the truth about Jake, but he knew she had a point. "He told you."

"Yes. In defense of you. Even though you've totally crushed him tonight, he's still defending you. He always defends you." She sighed. "Do you see what I mean? He'd do anything, absolutely anything for you. You can't let him go. He's good for you, as much as I hate to admit it."

"No." Jason said, and that would be it. "No. He can't come back."

Maxie grabbed his messenger bag and some of his clothes on the way out.


	2. Part II

Without You

**_AU in that Jake dies. Takes place after all the Russian-kidnapping drama from a few weeks ago. Not mine. Would not exist without cynical sweater. Enjoy! _**

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Part 2

"Spinelli!" Maxie called, announcing her presence in the now darkened Crimson offices. "I'm back from my talk with your ungrateful, ignorant roommate. You're better off without the jerk, if I do say so myself." She flipped on the lights. Then, wished she hadn't.

The office was trashed. The computers were on the floor, their screens shattered, papers everywhere. Phones were ripped out of the walls. Kate was going to kill her.

But, that was the least of her worries. Either Spinelli had hit a breaking point rather reminiscent of one of Sonny's mental breakdowns, or… Or someone else had been in here.

"Spinelli!" She shouted this time, eyes scanning for any trace of her best friend. "Damn it, if you don't answer me… This isn't funny!" Her eyes searched frantically, finally resting on a lamp that had once been on her desk. It had blood on it. "Oh, no…"

***

Every bump the SUV went over was like a new kind of torture. Spinelli had been bound and gagged and thrown rather hastily in the back of the vehicle after being bonked over the head with a lamp. "Heathens," He growled to himself, just as they'd slammed the door.

No wonder Jason wanted him gone. He was useless. Couldn't even keep himself from getting kidnapped. "Mrngh… mm, rrgg." He mumbled out through the tape they'd covered his mouth with. His vision was swimming and his head pounding, and all he really wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep, but that was not an option. Wouldn't ever be an option if he didn't get out of this.

"Sorry, did you say something?" A voice from the front of the vehicle mocked. He couldn't see who it was, but it was undoubtedly another Russian goon.

His cell phone went off in his pocket, blaring some ridiculously loud popular tune and Spinelli fumbled for it as much as he could with his hands tied behind his back. Before he could make much progress, though, another hand removed it, and he could hear the sounds of a window rolling down. That was the end of that.

He could only hope Jason would save him. Stone Cold was his only hope, and he had some things he really should have said before all of this. With any luck, he might still have a chance.

"I think this is it." He heard someone say a few moments later. He felt a sharp prick of pain in his arm and the next thing he knew his consciousness was overwhelmed.

***

Jason had refused all visitors. He'd turned the phones in the penthouse off, locked the doors, had Milo and Max stay downstairs to keep numerous pesky, nosy blonds from barging in on him. He'd cut himself off completely. Both to mourn the loss of Jake and to plan the ultimate attack on Sasha and her Neanderthal thugs. And to keep his mind off of Spinelli.

That last one proved too difficult to be possible within the confines of the penthouse where he'd lived with Spinelli for so long. So, he opted to go for a drive on his bike to clear his mind. He made his way to the Harbor View Towers parking garage after informing Max of his plans, grabbed his motorcycle, and felt better until he remembered his promise to teach Spinelli to ride it sometime.

On his way out of the garage, though, Maxie started running towards him. The look in her eyes made him pause.

"Jason!" She called frantically, running closer, only stopping when she was beside him. "Spinelli's gone. The Russians must have grabbed him from Crimson."

His face paled. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, trying to catch her breath. Jason figured she'd probably been trying to reach him for a while now. "Yeah, I called the police. They're checking it out now, but I wanted you to know about it. And you weren't answering your phone…"

Damn him, and his own stubbornness. If he'd just kept his phone on, he would have had that much more time to start tracking Spinelli down. Better yet, had he not practically forced him out onto the street, this wouldn't have happened, either. "Alright. Go tell Max, tell him to call in anyone and everyone good with computers and track Spinelli's phone. Then, go glue yourself to Mac." He revved the engine.

"Wait…" The blond stopped him again. "There… there was blood."

He closed his eyes. Fuck. "I'll bring him back." He promised. And this time, he would not fail.

***

Without Spinelli there to track the location of the Russian's hideout, finding him took substantially longer than he would have liked. He sped toward Crimson, hoping beyond any sort of logical hope that Spinelli had left him some trail to follow. When he arrived at the scene, flashing lights were everywhere. Mac was talking to Lucky by the entrance to the building, and they paused in their conversation long enough to stare at him.

His phone let out a shrill ring that startled him back into motion. He drove around the corner, pulling out his cell, which displays 'Maxie' on the caller ID. "Shouldn't you be with your Dad?" He asked, since she obviously was not.

"I was dealing with your technological problems. I've seen Spinelli track enough people down, so I figured I'd give it a try, and let me tell you, it's harder than it looks." Maxie informed him. "I traced his cell through the GPS system through your cell phone – you're paying ridiculous amounts of money for that, by the way - Last time his phone transmitted was out on the road not far from where you found the Russians in earlier."

"Thanks, Maxie." He told her, resisting the urge to shut the phone and go speeding off to save Spinelli. "Go stay with Mac, now, alright?"

"Milo said he'd take me over." She answered, and he could hear the guard respond affirmatively in the background, so he felt safe in ending the call. Then, he was off.

The drive was substantially faster this time. Without Sam with him, he had nothing to keep him sane while he was driving; rather, flying down the winding roads that appeared once he got closer to the more rural areas far on the outskirts of town. Upon getting close to the set of warehouses that made up the location Maxie had given him, he found that it was actually a storage company's building. His heart fell. There were dozens of locked rooms to check. So much for quick. So much for silent. So much for surprise. They'd hear him coming as soon as he started searching.

***

"Mrrngh…" The young man groaned, as he blinked himself back to a bleary level of consciousness. His vision was blurred and distorted, and his skull throbbed. The fell of not quite dry blood was caked in his hair, and what felt like all of his muscles hurt.

Spinelli realized why a moment later, when he got the strength to look up, though his vision was further impeded by the darkness of the room. His arms were securely chained over his head, to a beam running across the ceiling. His feet dangled a good three feet from the concrete below.

"Help!" He yelled, screamed, begged. Over and over, despite the fact that he was near hoarse from doing so and how much it hurt his head to make a sound. Someone had to hear him! They had to. He had so many things he needed to tell to so many people. Starting with Jason.

***

He found the cell phone just before the start of the driveway that led into the storage area. It was scraped, from being thrown out a window, he guessed. They hadn't been smart enough to destroy it, a good thing, or he would have never gotten this close.

Deciding that he had no other option, he deemed it necessary to avoid the guns blazing approach, entering the main hallway of the building as quietly as he could. Two guards were just inside the entrance, he pulled the trigger once on his silenced weapon, aiming carefully, unable to afford a ricochet in such a metal environment. An elephant would be quieter than a ricochet.

He took out the other with his knife, and even took the time to drag both bodies around the buildings corner before returning.

"Give me a clue…" He begged silently, listening intently for signs of his best friend's presence.

They were unprepared, he realized, upon rushing past the first storage area, where several of the burly Russian thugs were seated at a small table. They hadn't been expecting him this early. He grinned. Instead of wasting valuable ammunition on them, he reached up, grabbed the metal door and lowered it, locking it in place. Hopefully, few others would get in Jason's way.

"Spinelli!" He dared to shout, focusing on getting a reply. By now, though, the others were shouting about being locked in, which made it nearly impossible to hear much of anything else.

He made a run for the second floor of storage area, hoping for quiet there.

It wasn't quiet there. Four more guards were in place there, a fact that told him he must be closer to the right place. They wouldn't use guards on the second level unless Spinelli was there. He pulled out his gun again, aimed at the one who seemed to be the leader of the four and fired, taking him out with a shot to the head. The others spotted him, though. Two ran into another opened room and one charged at him. Jason fired at him, missed. And got a nice ricochet for his trouble. The bullet bounced off several surfaces, almost including Jason's own shoulder, before it died bouncing uselessly to the ground. Another shot, this one hit his pursuer in the stomach. He'll be down, but not out, Jason knew, so he made a break for the room the other's had gone into.

At first, he didn't see what the guns were pointed out, both of the thugs were aiming upwards, and then he realized that they both had their weapons trained on Spinelli's chest.

He raised his hands, unwilling to risk Spinelli's life in such close proximity to the bad guys. "Alright." He said, "Alright. You win."

The one on Spinelli's left laughed, confident with their leverage. "Thought so, Morgan. Sasha is not going to be happy when she finds out about this."

"I don't care what Sasha's going to think about this. Let him down." Jason demanded. Not that he was in much of a position to be making demands.

Spinelli hasn't made a sound, a fact which quite worried Jason as each tense moment ticked by. Neither Russian made a move to comply or go against his command and Jason still remained under their control. Finally, after a rather intense stare down, the man on the right shift's his aim toward Jason instead of Spinelli.

And evidently, that's what Spinelli had been waiting for. The younger man swung with all of his strength, his legs colliding with the skull of the man on his left. It effectively knocked the man down, and out for now, at least, giving Jason the opportunity to fire at the man on the right. The bullet hit, another headshot, and the man fell. Just to be safe, he also took out the man unconscious on the ground.

"Jason." Spinelli groaned, obviously in pain.

"Hold on, Spinelli, I'll get you down." He wasn't exactly sure how to go about doing that. Now that he'd had time to look over how they'd chained him up, it was certainly going to be a difficult task. About two feet over Spinelli's head there was a large beam with a chain coming down. Spinelli's hands were chained, as well, and hooked to that. There was a Masterlock, but he had no way of knowing who had the key, and Spinelli certainly didn't look up to telling him. "You're gonna have to bear with me for a minute here, alright?" He asked, a plan forming in his mind.

Spinelli's head dropped a bit, and it was clear he fairly close to passing out. Jason reached up and shook him gently, enough to cause the younger man to look at him. "I… it hurts."

"I know, it'll feel better once you're on the ground. But, you have to stay awake. He slid under Spinelli, so that he practically sat on Jason's left shoulder. The height change made the chains loosen, giving him some slack to work with. The movement, however, made Spinelli scream in pain. Jason hadn't been expecting that. "I'm sorry," He said quickly, but didn't move away. "I'll be as quick as I can, but I need you to listen for a minute. I'm going to shoot the lock. Then I need you to lean forward, when I tell you, and I'll catch you. Can you do that?"

A weak nod from Spinelli was all that he got in reply.

Jason sighed, taking aim with his right hand at the lock. "Alright, lean back."

Spinelli complied and Jason took his shot. The bullet clanged as it bounced off the metal, embedding in the wall. He fired again, this time it worked. The lock shattered, and Jason shouted for him to lean forward as he tossed his gun aside. With a pained yelp, Spinelli fell towards him, sliding off his shoulder to land, Bridal style, in Jason's arms.

With that problem solved, the next issue was getting Spinelli to help. Had he brought a car instead of the bike, he would have just driven like mad to the hospital, but there was no way Spinelli could cope with that sort of ride right now. Back on the ground, he now had a pretty good idea of most of Spinelli's injuries. His right arm was bent at an awkward angle at the shoulder, telling him it was more than likely dislocated. And, given the glazed over look in his friend's eyes, he was either still suffering the lingering effects of some drug or a concussion, or possibly both. He needed to get Spinelli to safety.

"Hey, come on, you need to stay awake just a little while longer, Spinelli." He prodded, gently laying him down on the cool concrete below. Spinelli's head rested on his lap, and hazy green eyes blinked up at him, complying with his order.

"'Nythin' you say, Jason." He mumbled, the fingers of his good hand searching out Jason's.

Jason gripped his hand in return, while digging his cell from his pocket. He dialed 911 and reported their location, making sure to add that the area wasn't secure. He didn't need the people here to help Spinelli getting killed on their way. Upon ending that call, his attention once again focused on Spinelli. "You'll be okay, alright?" He said, carefully running a hand through the younger's hair. "You'll be fine, and then you can yell at me for kicking you out."

"Won't yell at you." Came the barely audible reply.

"You should," Jason countered. "You should be furious at me for all the things I said to you."

Spinelli managed to shake his head. "I know you didn't mean what you said." He cringed in his attempt to shift closer to the older man. "…That you were suffering a serious loss and were blinded by grief. I can't hold that against you, Jason."

Jason closed his eyes wondering what on earth he'd done to deserve someone as amazing as Spinelli. He had no idea why the young hacker adored and idolized him so. "Stone Cold, okay? Call me Stone Cold. And you're the Jackal. Forget everything I said earlier. I wouldn't change a thing about you. Not the Spinelli speak, or the orange soda crowding the refrigerator. "

"The Jackal is touched to receive such kind sentiments from his Master." Spinelli grinned up at him, looking just a bit better for regaining the use of his cyber persona. "Your kind words are just one of the many fine qualities Stone Cold possesses. Not unlike the bravery you repeatedly show in risking everything to save those you care about. The Jackal wishes he were that fearless…"

Jason could hear the sirens now, blaring loud and clear as they drew nearer. "You don't need to be like me. I don't want you to be like me, Spinelli."

"But… Stone Cold is the epitome of manliness and the Jackal is merely a speck of dirt in most people's eyes… Not to you, though. And perchance that is just one of many reasons why the jackal finds himself in love with you, even though it is a hopeless endeavor…" The glazed look in Spinelli's eyes seemed stronger, and Jason's concern increased tenfold even as his brain processed what Spinelli just said. For the moment, he didn't have time to dwell on his confession though. Spinelli was fading.

"Come on, stay awake for me. Just a little while longer." He begged, squeezing the younger's hand tightly. He could hear the police on the floor below him, dealing with the goons in the locked storage shed, he assumed. Several more came storming upstairs and he could make out shouts of 'Clear' as they went through each of the other sheds.

Paramedics raced in once they'd cleared the building, a couple dealing with the man Jason shot in the stomach in the hall and several more rushing in to work on Spinelli.

"They're here. Just hold on." He said again, as they shooed him away from Spinelli.

***

The ride to the hospital had seemed disproportionately longer than the ride out to the storage building had been. They hadn't allowed him to ride with Spinelli. Jason had only called in for Spinelli, but they'd had to deal with the stomach wound, too. So, Jason was forced to ride back on his bike after Mac finished questioning him.

On the other hand, the ride back had given him far too much time to think. Spinelli's confession was weighing heavily on his mind. He'd been under the impression that Spinelli was interested in Maxie, at least he had been previously. He'd just figured Spinelli was as oblivious as he was last time, with Georgie. Could he have been wrong about Spinelli's interest all this time? It seemed so.

Despite how much he wanted to, he didn't go straight to the hospital. No, he needed to think this through before he did something he couldn't take back. So, he detoured back to the Penthouse, where he first informed Max that Spinelli was safe. Then, he set to work returning all of Spinelli's possessions to their proper places.

By the time he'd finished, he'd made his decision.


	3. Part III

Without You

**_AU in that Jake dies. Takes place after all the Russian-kidnapping drama from a few weeks ago. Not mine. Would not exist without cynical sweater. Enjoy! _**

* * *

Part 3

"Spinelli!" Maxie came bursting into the hospital room the second she had been allowed. "Oh! I'm so glad you're okay!" She hugged him, as much as she was able to, before she sat herself down on the edge of her best friend's bed. "You are okay, right?"

Still groggy from pain killers, he managed a nod. "The Jackal is a little worse for wear," He smiled, "But is otherwise unscathed."

She took in his visible injuries. A couple of bruises and a busted lip. His arm was in a sling, too. "What's all this?" She asked, gesturing to the array of bandages.

"Oh, ugh, dislocated shoulder, broken leg," From knocking out the man who'd been aiming at him. "Concussion." He inventoried, but he had something else on his mind that far outweighed the pain of his injuries. "Have you seen Stone Cold?"

"Why do you wanna see that selfish jackass? It's his fault you're laying here." Maxie sniped, her dislike for Jason rearing its head at the sight of her best friend in such a state. "He didn't even have the decency to come check on you."

Spinelli frowned, eyes falling to stare absently at his hands. "That's it, I suppose."

She'd been expecting a reprimand for her put down on Jason. Spinelli always defended him. Always. Maybe he'd finally come to his senses. "You're better off without the loser." She continued.

"I doubt that." He whispered, and the happiness that he'd had upon her arrival faded quickly. "The Jackal believes that statement's inverse is the correct one."

"Spinelli!" Maxie was definitely confused. While both she and Jason knew that Spinelli could be rather self-deprecating on occasion, it was usually a direct result of something. Perhaps Jason had done something to make the bad situation he'd created in kicking Spinelli out, worse. Though she had previously doubted that was possible. "Did you and Jason get in a fight or something when he saved you?"

"No, in fact, Stone Cold apologized for the things he said earlier. But, the Jackal may have said something in return that most probably ruined our friendship for good." He whimpered, attempting not to contemplate life without Jason.

Maxie rested a hand over his good one. "What happened?"

"Well, the Ace of Cyberspace, in his concussed and nearly unconscious state perhaps began to babble a bit. And I may have accidently professed to Stone Cold that I'm in love with him." Spinelli explained. "It seems as though that was too much for him to take, since, as you said, he hasn't made an appearance here. Stone Cold is probably throwing the rest of my belongings into the street."

That was quite an unexpected bombshell. "You're in love with Jason? Heartless, merciless, selfish, Jason?"

"Stone Cold is none of those things." He retorted. "And the Jackal did not claim that his aforementioned feelings were in any way logical. Which is why I never intended for him to know of them."

"So you've just been hiding this?" She asked, working over mental pieces of evidence from the last few months. "For how long?"

"After Wise Georgie died?" He supplied, as rough an estimate as he could make. "It's of no matter, though. As Stone Cold did not reciprocate my feelings, as expected."

The door opened, and Maxie watched as Spinelli's hopes rose and subsequently deflated when he realized it was just Dr. Drake coming in to check on him. "Doctor Patrick." He nodded in greeting.

Patrick looked to Maxie. "Can you wait in the hall for a minute?" He asked, as he checked several machines monitoring his patient's vitals. "You can come back in when I'm done."

Maxie slid off the edge of the bed, and headed toward the door without an argument. "I'll just run to the cafeteria, I guess." She supplied before slipping out the door. Much to her surprise, though, she wasn't alone. Jason was just around the corner, in one of the many uncomfortable hospital chairs. When he spotted her, though, he stood and made for the door. "Where do you think you're going?" She demanded, cutting him off.

"Out." He answered, but he knew he was in for it when she got that murderous look in her eye.

"You put Spinelli in the hospital and you're not even going to visit him to see if he's okay?" She chided, arms folded stubbornly, foot tapping. "I get that you're probably… ten kinds of freaked out because he told you he loved you, but you could at least check on him! He's been your best friend for a long time now."

Jason stared. "Is there anything he doesn't tell you?" He wondered aloud. Not what he'd been planning to say in response to her rant, but it was all that came out.

"Yes, actually. Why he was dumb enough to fall for the likes of you. He won't tell me that." Maxie replied, biting wit sufficiently unleashed. "Are you going to visit him, or should I start preparing myself to get him through getting over you?"

"He'd be better off without me around." Jason answered.

"You're right."

He nodded, took a step away from her, hoping she'd take the hint and let him go.

"But," She paused, catching his arm as he tried to evade her. "He doesn't think so. So, if that's enough to make you stay, then I suggest you get in there and tell him that he did not send your friendship up in flames, because that's what he's thinking."

Jason remained silent, staring past her at nothing on the wall. Spinelli would think that this was all his fault. The only person he should be blaming was Jason. It's his fault that Spinelli was out unprotected to get kidnapped, his fault that Spinelli thought himself worthless in comparison to the master he holds on a pedestal. He lowered his head, running a hand over his face. "I don't know." He finally admitted.

Maxie knew he was trying to weigh the pros and cons of staying, but it was taking too long for her liking. "Alright then," She released his arm. "I guess I should stock up on ice cream and orange soda, then, for when he comes home with me."

He fixed her with his Stone Cold glare. "What room?"

"421." She grinned. "But Patrick's in with him right now."

Jason nodded and walked away, headed straight for Spinelli's room.

"I am so good." Maxie smirked, rather pleased with herself.

***

Patrick was nearly finished with Spinelli when Jason arrived. So when the doctor exited a moment later, he slipped quietly into the room.

"I put all your stuff back in your room." Jason said, his voice clearly startled Spinelli, who'd been resting on his side, facing away from the door. "Except for your messenger bag. Maxie has that."

"You… you're not kicking me out?" The younger asked, eyes wide in utter amazement that Jason was still speaking to him.

Jason sat on the edge of the bed, like Maxie had done before. "I… no, Spinelli. Kicking you out is what started this whole mess. I'm not making that mistake again."

Spinelli shifts nervously. "So, you're keeping me around because I can't keep myself safe?" Logical reasoning does not equate to Jason's presence here, so therefore, there must be some sort of reason he is. "You just don't want me wandering around alone on your conscience?"

"No, I-" Jason tried to cut in, but Spinelli continued on like he hadn't even spoken.

"The Jackal realizes that this situation with the Russian's is his own fault entirely, but there were a number of nefarious thugs who stormed Crimson, all pitted against me. Useless as the Ace of Cyberspace is with a weapon, they were able to emerge victorious rather easily."

Jason tried to cut in again. "Spinelli-"

But, the hacker was having none of it. "If I had been more efficient in hunting down the Russian's in our first battle with them, then perchance young Jake would still be alive and Stone Cold would not have to deal with even more of his secret pain. Not only that, but after the Jackal gives you cause to go after the Russian's again, he informs you of his deepest secret all because of one measly head injury!" By that point, several of the monitors tracking Spinelli's vitals were announcing his distress. Jason had to stop him before he worried himself into restricted visiting hours.

He grabbed Spinelli's good arm, stopping the flailing limb easily enough. "Damn it, stop. Spin... Damian." That got Spinelli's attention. His eyes darted up to meet Jason's, fearing another conversation like the one they'd had the last time his name had been used. "None of this is your fault." Jason promised.

Spinelli stared at him for a moment, and slowly his heart rate lessened to a rhythmic beep as opposed to its previous incessant chatter. "It is." He finally said.

Jason let his hand settle over Spinelli's, holding it like he had in the storage room. "Not. And when you get out of here, you're coming home with me. Where you're staying. For a very, very, very long time."

***

After nearly a week in the hospital, Spinelli was finally released. His leg was set in a plaster cast, wrapped in a blinding shade of red that was found nowhere else in nature. His arm was still immobilized in a sling in order to limit the movement of his previously dislocated shoulder – for which he started physical therapy in another week's time. His concussion hadn't been that bad, the head wound, however, had been a pain to deal with. Especially since Jason had turned into an ever present fixture, hovering constantly. He insisted upon taking pain medications exactly on time and following the directions that came with them to the letter, as well as making frequent bandage changes. He even had Spinelli sleeping in his room, under the premise of being able to keep an eye on him. At first, Jason had opted to sleep on an air mattress on the floor, but had quickly given up on that idea at Spinelli's insistence.

On his second night home from the hospital, Spinelli had woken up in the middle of the night when he'd shifted in his sleep, putting pressure on his wounded shoulder. Surprisingly, Jason didn't wake up, like he had every other time Spinelli breathed too hard. Jason was concerned for him, he knew, scared of breaking him, he suspected, but there was no reason they should both be sleep deprived.

Jason's arm moved from its previous spot to rest above Spinelli's head. "C'mere." The elder said, eyes still closed. "Lean against me."

Spinelli complied, rolling over so he half-rested against Jason's chest. In doing so, his bad arm rested comfortably across the elder's chest, as well. "Thanks." He whispered, as Jason's arm curled around his back, holding him firmly in place.

"Go to sleep, Spinelli." Jason mumbled in reply, still half asleep himself. He leaned down, though, and pressed a soft kiss to Spinelli's lips.

"You-" Spinelli started, but found himself cut off by a second kiss. As it lasted longer than the first, that one having been little more than a peck, he found himself able to participate in this one. He kissed back, and soon the second kiss turned into the third, and fourth, and by the time they got to the fifth kiss, Jason had flipped them, pinning Spinelli to the mattress – careful to avoid shoulders and legs and still healing bruises – where kisses sixth thru eleven took place.

Jason groaned, ending kiss number twelve rather abruptly for Spinelli's liking. The elder man pressed his head against the cool sheets, before he rolled back over, pulling Spinelli close again. "Go to sleep." He repeated.

Spinelli could think of doing no such thing. Jason had just… they'd just… and he was just going to stop? His brain was buzzing as loudly as his laptop's hard drive did when it was in need of defragmenting. Jason couldn't have just kissed him? Made out with him?

Maybe he'd stopped because he regretted starting it. Once that thought hit, it echoed, and Spinelli finally found himself falling asleep to several nightmares of possible outcomes.

***

The next morning was awkward, if nothing else. Jason was out of bed before Spinelli was awake, but that was nothing new. By the time Spinelli got up the nerve to try to go downstairs alone – Jason usually helped him – he could already smell breakfast.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked, appearing at the top of the steps. He'd made it to the bedroom door.

"I… downstairs." He answered; tugging absently at his shirt as he rested his weight on the lone crutch he'd been given.

Jason took the crutch away, taking its place as Spinelli's aid. "You're not supposed to be walking around like that yet." He chided, back in full hovering mode. They hobbled their way into the kitchen, and only when Spinelli was safely parked in one of the chairs did Jason release him.

Spinelli watched as he went back to the stove, stirring whatever was sizzling in one of the pans. He stood, leaning half on the chair and half on the counter. "Stone Cold?"

"Yeah?"

"Last night… was that… Was that just a one-time thing? Because…" He trailed off; he didn't really know what else to say. He dropped his head, staring at the floor, but the next thing he knew, he was staring at Jason's feet instead.

Jason's hips were pressed flush against his own, and the elders hands landed on his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of Spinelli's head. "You're here." Another, this one to his neck. "You're staying." He nipped lightly at Spinelli's lips before he deepened the kiss. "And, you're mine."


End file.
